Page 26 of Texting the Wrong Bikers

Ethan exhales, a sound close to a laugh. “Don’t tell me this is the guy you’re seeing?” he asks incredulously, as if the thought’s only just occurred to him.

“My personal life is none of your business,” I snap back. I don’t know why I don’t simply tell him the truth, that I’ve never seen this man before in my life, but I want Ethan to squirm a little. To know that I’m not the undesirable, dried-up, discarded wife he thinks I am. And if I’m being honest, the man is stupidly hot. Maybe I want Ethan to feel a little jealous, to feel a fraction of what I felt when he traded me in for a newer, better model.

Ethan stands there for a moment, frozen with indecision. The other man steps forward, only a fraction of an inch, but the threat is clear. Ethan shakes his head again. “Fucking unbelievable. No wonder the kid is fucked up.” I bristle again at Ethan’s refusal to claim Owen as his own or even use his name. Noticing my anguish, the man’s fists clench tighter, but when Ethan moves to leave, the man steps aside, giving him just enough space to pass. Ethan stomps to his car, trying to act as tough and macho as a man who’s just lost a fight that never even started can be. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” he shouts from the window before driving away.

I let out a sigh of relief once Ethan was out of sight. “Thank you,” I say softly to the man, then turn my attention to Owen. I hold him, soothing him with whispered words of love and encouragement, telling him that Daddy didn’t mean it, that he didn’t do anything wrong, that everything is okay. God knows how this will impact him in the long run, but right now, Owen surprises me with his resilience. He nods bravely, wiping his tears.

To my surprise, when I look back up, the man is still there. “Oh… I wasn’t… you don’t…”

“Mommy! Thunderbike!” Owen exclaims, pointing to our driveway where there is indeed a very large motorcycle. I frown, puzzled by its appearance, especially since the man isn’t wearing leathers or a helmet. I didn’t hear it pull up either, though I was distracted by Ethan. “Is it yours?” Owen asks, gazing up at him as if he’s Superman.

The man smiles, a devastatingly handsome smile that makes my stomach flip. “It sure is, Owen, wanna see it?” he asks, crouching down to meet Owen’s eye.

Owen fizzes with excitement, the trauma of the argument momentarily forgotten. “Yes! Can I, Mommy?” he asks, looking up to me, his face pure and filled with joy.

Despite the alarm bells going off in my head, I don’t have the heart to turn him down, not after what just happened. I nod, and Owen whoops and hollers, rushing over to the bike and laying his sticky fingers on its gleaming chrome. “Owen, look, don’t touch!” I call after him. I warily survey the stranger on my front lawn.

The man looks at me. “It’s okay.” It feels like he’s assuring me about more than just the bike. Despite the fact I don’t know who he is, there’s something comforting in the way he speaks. I feel at ease, like I already know him.

I watch, stunned, for a moment as the man patiently shows Owen the motorcycle, even letting him sit on it for a second. He seems so kind, so gentle, in contrast with his appearance and what I just witnessed. However, I can’t relax. Especially knowing that Tyler could turn up at any moment. “Come on now, Owen, time for bed. Thank, Mr…”

“Trig—” he stops. “Kane.”

“Thank you, Kane!” Owen says, throwing his arms around the man’s legs and hugging him.

The man blinks in surprise, patting him on the back. “That’s okay, kid.”

We walk back over to the porch, and I tell Owen to go upstairs, brush his teeth, and get into his pajamas. To my surprise, he doesn’t argue with me. It gives me a smug swell of satisfaction. Ethan was wrong; Owen doesn’t lack discipline or respect. He lacks a father figure.

I suddenly have a thought. Owen. When Kane first spoke to my son he called him by his name. As soon as Owen is out of earshot, I turn to Kane, my eyes narrowed, and my arms folded. “How do you know my son’s name?”

A look of comprehension crosses his face. “Right, of course, you don’t know.” He chuckles softly. “I know because you told me.” He pulls out his phone, and I see the screen.

On it, there’s the message I sent to Tyler, the one with my location, asking him to come over. All of a sudden, it makes perfect sense why Tyler seemed different over text compared to in person. It was never Tyler to start with. Somehow, I must have texted the wrong number, and for some reason, Kane replied. He became important to me.

Kane looks at me sheepishly. “Are you mad I’m not who you expected?”

I shake my head.

“I think you’re even more than I expected.”

Without thinking, I step forward. I tilt my head up to look him in the eye. Mysterious, dark wells that seem to read my mind. I don’t know who moves first, but all of a sudden, I’m in his arms, and we’re kissing passionately right there in the doorway for all the neighbors to see. And I don’t care.

I don’t want to stop, either.

Chapter 7

Sadie

“Mom!” Owen’s voice, calling from upstairs, breaks the spell.

Kane and I pull apart like magnets that don’t want to come unstuck. I’m flushed and breathless, my lips feel swollen and are still tingling, and my whole body is on fire. What the fuck was that?

“Sorry, I have to—” I gesture upstairs, and Kane nods. “Would you like to come in?” I surprise both of us by saying.

“Sure,” he grins.

“I guess this wasn’t what you were expecting when I invited you over,” I say.